Counting mechanism.



N0 MODEL.

PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903. F. G. RINSOHE.

COUNTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1902.

8 v z7%yew ifu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. RINSOHE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL ACOOUNTANTMAOHINE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPO- RATION OF MISSOURI.

COUNTING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,213, dated March 17, 1903. Application filed November 10, 1902. Serial No. 130,726. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: of said disk-4. e., the side adjacent the 50 Be it known thatI, FRANK O. RINSOHE, a units-disk. These ratchet-disks are of course citizen of the United States, residing at St. provided with the proper number of teeth. Louis, Missouri, haveinvented a certain new Secured to the units-disk to rotate therewith and useful Improvement in Counting Mechis what may betermed atransfer-disk6,this

anisms, of which the following is a full, clear, transfer-disk being upon the inner side of the 55 and exact description, such as will enable units-disk,andthereforebeingadjacenttothe others skilled in the art to which it apperratchet-disk upon the tens-wheel. The petains to make and use the same, reference beriphery of this transfer-disk lies in such a )0 ing had to the accompanying drawings, formline that a pawl engaging the same and exing part of this specification, in which tending across the ratchet-disk of the tens- 60 Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a wheel is prevented from engaging with the side elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. teeth of said latter-mentioned disk; but said Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation transfendisk is provided with a single tooth Viewed from the front. Fig. 5 is an'elevaor recess 7, which as the said transfer-disk tion, partly in section, on the line 5 5 of Fig. is rotated is adapted to successively coincide 65 1. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of with the teeth upon the ratchet-disk of the the shaft and the setting-sleeve; and Fig. 7 tens-wheel. A yoke hangs from the said shaft is a view of said setting-sleeve looking at its 1 and has side members 8 and 9 and a crossinner end, the shaft being shown in section. bar 10 connecting the same, one of said side My invention relates to improvements in members (here the member 9) being extended 7o counting mechanisms and mechanisms of a to form an actuating arm or lever adaptedto like character, my objects :being to provide be engaged by a suitable part upon the elea simple, compact, and inexpensive structure ment whose movements are to be counted,

by means of which the various countingsuch element beinghere shown asasprocketdisks are actuated at the proper intervals disk A, provided with a pin 0., adapted to en- 75 and to provide a simple and efiicient' means gage the said actuating-arm for the purpose for resetting the mechanism. of moving the same. Pivotally supported To these ends and also to improve generupon a suitable intermediate cross-bar ll ally upon mechanisms of the character indiof the said yoke are pawls 12 and 13, the

cated, my invention consists in the various pawl 12 cooperating with the ratchet-disk 8o matters hereinafter described and claimed; upon the units-Wheel and the pawl 13 coop- Referring now more'particularly to the crating with the ratchet-disk upon the tensdrawings, 1 indicates a shaft which is rotawheel and being of a width to enable it to sitably supportedupon a suitablestandard, multaneously engage both the ratchet-disk hereshown as havingthe side arms 2, in which of the tens-wheel and the before-mentioned 8 said shaft is mounted. Loosely mounted transfer-disk. Suitable springs 14 serve to upon the shaft are the counting wheels or yieldingly hold the said pawls against the disks 3 and 4, the disk 3 in the present indisksinawell-understood manner. Asuitable 4o stance being the units-disk and the disk 4 spring 15, connected to the actuating-arm 9 the tens-disk. Of course any suitable numand to the said standard,tends to throw for- 0 her of disks can be employed, but I have wardly said actuating-arm and the parts conhere illustrated only two. Each disk has nected thereto in order to efiect counting opsuitably fixed thereto to rotate therewith a eration of the mechanism, said aotuating-arm ratchet-disk 5, the said ratchet-disk con-' being moved backwardly against the force of nected to the units-disk or wheel being upon the said spring 15 by means of the pin a 5 the outer side of the same-t. e., the side upon the movable element A, whose moveremoved from the tens-disk-and the ratchetments are to be counted. Retaining-pawls plate for the tens-disk is upon the inner side 16, mounted upon the standard, cooperate with the ratchet-disks in a well-understood manner for well-understood purposes, these pawls being yieldingly held in engagement with said disks by means of springs 17.

Manifestly the pawls 12 and 13 move with the swinging yoke, and each time that said yoke moves forwardly the pawl 12 moves the units-wheel through one-tenth of its revolution,thesaid pawl 12 engaging a new tooth each time that the said yoke returns to its retracted or backward position. The transfer-disk is so set with relation to the units-disk that during the first nine forward movements of the swinging yoke the pawl 13 merely rides idly upon the periphery of said transfer-disk, and therefore does not operatively engage the ratchet-disk of the tens-wheel. Upon the ninth movement of the units-disk, however, the tooth or depression 7 of the transferdisk is brought into coincidence with the tooth of the ratchet-disk of the tens-wheel, which lies in position to be engaged by the pawl 13 as the swinging yoke returns after its ninth forward movement. When, therefore, the said yoke makes its tenth forward movement, the pawl 13 engages the ratchetdisk of the tenswheel and advances said wheel one step, the tens-wheel and the unitswheel moving through this one step together. The transfer-disk is therefore advanced during the movement of the tens-wheel just described, so that the tooth or depression 7 of the said transfer-disk is carried beyond the pointat which it is adapted to receive the pawl 13 in the movement of the swinging yoke, and through the next nine movements of the yoke and the units-wheel the pawl 13 merely rides idly upon the periphery of the transfer-disk, as heretofore described.

tVhile I have here shown only two counting or numbering wheels, itwill be apparent that any number of said wheels can be employed, each wheel except the last or highest in the series being provided with a transfer-disk upon its side adjacent the wheel of next higher value and each wheel except that of the lowest value being provided with a ratchet-disk upon its side adjacent the wheel of next lower value.

The means for resetting the mechanism is now to be considered. The shaft 1 has an angular slot 18, and connected to each countingdisk is a pawl 19, which when the wheels are at zero lies in said slot with its end so engaged by a wall of the said slot that when the shaft is turned in the direction corresponding to that in which the said wheels are driven the wheels will be moved by the shaft. During the movement of the wheels under the action of the actuating-arm 9 the pawls merely ride upon the outer surface of the shaft, said pawls being preferably held in engagement with the shaft by means of springs 20. Slidably mounted upon the end of the shaft which projects beyond the standard is a sleeve 21, which is provided with a pin 22, which enters the said angular slot- 18, so that the sleeve is guided in its sliding movements and the sleeve and shaft are connected to rotate together. The sleeve is provided upon its inner end with a notch-23, which has upon one side a substantially straight wall, producing a shoulder 24, and has a sloping wall or camsurface 25 upon its other side. A pin 26 upon the standard or any other suitable relatively fixed member enters the said notch. The sleeve 21 is yieldingly held in innermost po- 'sitiont'. 6., with the pin 26 in the notch 23 as by means of a spring 27, coiled about the shaft and bearing between the said sleeve and the head 28 of the shaft. Normally the parts arein the positions indicated in the drawings, with the sleeve in its innermost position and the pin 26 against the shoulder 24, whereby movement of the shaft 1 in the direction of rotation of the counting-wheels is prevented. As the counting-wheels are actuated by the pawls 12 and 13 they move freely about the said shaft, the pawls 19 riding idly about the shaft and assuming any necessary positions. When, however, it is desired to reset the counting-wheels, the sleeve 21 is pulled out wardly to carry the shoulder 24 clear of the stop or pin 26 and is then turned toward the right through a complete revolution, the operator relaxing the outward tension upon the sleeve after the said shoulderhas been moved past the said pin, whereby as the sleeve completes its rotation the cam-surface 2-5 permits the same to gradually move toward innermost position, with the pin in the notch 23 and against the said shoulder 24. During the rotation of the shaft the groove 18 receives the free ends of the various pawls, and after a pawl is thus picked up by the shaft the shaft through the pawl moves the countingwheel, the various wheels being brought to zero as the shaft 1 comes to rest.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to soon re by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a supporting-bracket, of a grooved shaft mounted therein, a springpressed sleeve slidably mounted upon said shaft, means for preventing independent rotation of said sleeve and shaft, means on the bracket-support and sleeve for locking the sleeve against movement and determining its own position and also the zero position of the shaft,units and tens indicating wheels loosely mounted on the shaft, pawls on said wheels adapted to enter the groove in the shaft, ratchet-wheels conjoined to said units and tens indicating wheels, a notched transferdisk carried by the units-wheel, a 'yoke suspended from the shaft and carrying pawls,

one of which cooperates with the ratchetsignature, in the presence of two witnesses, wheel of the units-indicator and the other of this 6th day of November, 1902. which cooperates with the transfer-disk and Y the ratchet-wheel of the tens-indicator, and BRAMK RINSOHE' 5 means for vibratingsaid yoke; substantially Witnesses:

as described. GALES P. MOORE,

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

